Jones blasts HR, does same to fans

Cubs 6, Marlins 3

April 25, 2006|By Paul Sullivan, Tribune staff reporter.

After hitting the game-winning, three-run home run against the Florida Marlins on Monday night at Wrigley Field, Jacque Jones unleashed some pent-up anger over the rough treatment he has received in his first month as a Cub.

"I'm angry right now, you know what I mean?" Jones said. "It's almost funny. It's almost funny."

Jones wasn't laughing, though he should've been ecstatic.

In a complete reversal of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, the Cubs were shut out for seven innings by the Marlins before breaking through with a six-run eighth to post a thrilling 6-3 win.

Jones then ripped into Cubs fans for a perceived lack of support, pointing out he's not the first Cubs player to get harassed at Wrigley.

"I'm not confused at all," he said. "I've seen friends go through it. Sammy Sosa hit 60 home runs three years in a row, went into a little slump and ... hey, like I said earlier, they have a right to voice whatever opinion they want to voice.

"But it's not going to make me play any better. It's not going to make me play any worse. I'm just going to go play the game the way I know how."

Jones said he was "hearing all kinds of stuff" in the outfield throughout the game before hitting a three-run shot off Josh Johnson to snap a 3-3 tie in the eighth.

"I'm just getting used to it," he said. "Where I came from, they were passionate about baseball. We probably didn't draw as many [in Minnesota], but they were there through thick and thin. [The booing] is something I've got to get used to. I'm blocking it out as much as I can."

For most of the game, the Marlins outhustled, outpitched and outsmarted the Cubs, making several defensive gems, including three on Todd Walker alone. Marlins left-hander Jason Vargas shut the Cubs out on one hit in 6 1/3 innings before the Marlins' bullpen imploded in the eighth. Matt Murton's two-run single tied it, and Jones' homer sealed the deal.

Carlos Zambrano tied a career high with 12 strikeouts but got no offensive support. When he broke a bat over his knee after striking out in the third inning, manager Dusty Baker cringed, fearing his pitcher could be injured. But Baker absolved Zambrano.

"He needs a little bit of craziness," Baker said, "just to be himself."

Zambrano turned out to be OK, but the litany of bizarre Cubs injuries is too crazy to be believed, Derrek Lee joining the list with a broken wrist last week.

"It seems like every year we've got guys going down," Lee said. "But what can you do about it? Who knows? It may be a blessing. Maybe we'll find out a lot about the character of this team, and that maybe will make us stronger."

The booing of Jones seems to have made him stronger, and the support of his teammates is helping to ease the pain of feeling unloved in Chicago.

"My teammates are going to stick with me through thick and thin," he said. "As long as I know I'm going out and doing the best I can do, playing as hard as I can play, I can look myself in the mirror."